"Renegade Ranger" by James J. Griffin

Renegade Ranger by James J. Griffin took me on a wild, dangerous ride.  When Tom Foley, a Texas Ranger, kills the Captain Ranger at headquarters, shooting him in the back, Ranger Jim Blawchyzk gets shot twice by his friend Tom too when he went back to give the Captain some cookies.  Jim's son, Charlie plans on joining the Texas Rangers as soon as he turns 18, but an exception is made for him to join up early so he can ride along to track down his father's shooter and former friend.  The big question is why did Tom do it.

There is a lot of dialogue and the chase is stretched out with more shootings along the way.  I thought the plot was interesting, but the writing was very simplistic and the dialogue corny and stilted.  I really got tired of the line "Bet your hat on it" which was way over used.  I like westerns now and then, but this was far from a favorite.  I expected better.
(Karen's review, 3 stars)

Teaser from page 28:  Tom Foley was just emerging from the corridor leading to Captain Trumbull's office, his smoking six-gun in his hand.  An expression of surprise mingled with disbelief crossed his face when he spotted Jim.

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"Some Kind of Courage" by Dan Gemeinhart is a Gripping Read!

Some Kind of Courage by Dan Gemeinhart is about an 12-yr.-old orphan boy, Joseph Johnson. He has lost just about everything he loved, but the one thing he can get back is his horse, Sarah, that was sold without his knowledge. Joseph is a great character and his adventures had me holding my breath! I so wanted him to get his horse back. I loved this book! It goes fast because it’s hard to put down. We also loved this author’s first book, The Honest Truth.
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

Some Kind of Courage by Dan Gemeinhart is a gripping story about a boy who goes on his own to track down his horse that was sold without his knowledge to a crooked horse trader.  He has a strong sense to do his dead parents proud and do the right thing.  Even though his parents and sister died, he still keeps their memory alive.  The story is about how important family is.  Joseph is very likable and I couldn't help but pull for him.  He met a Chinese boy along the way so had a friend on part of his journey who was also on a mission.  Both boys were very brave!

I loved this book and was surprised it was just as good as the first book by this author.  It has lots of action and kept me turning pages.  The recurring theme in the book was what Joseph's papa always said and what drove Joseph:

But Papa had said that when there's something that's got to be done, the thing to do is just to buckle down and do it the best you can.

(Karen's review, 5 stars)


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"Swept Away--Trouble in Texas, Book 1" by Mary Connealy

In Swept Away—Trouble in Texas, book 1 by Mary Connealy, Ruthy gets swept away in a flood trying to cross a river, Glynna Greer gets swept away with her children out of her home to escape her abusive husband, and Luke gets swept away when he falls in love with Ruthy aka Rosie. The hired guns in the little western town get swept away when Luke and his buddies take on Flint Greer to get his ranch back that was stolen. Ruthy has some interesting skills as well as cooking which include tracking, stealth, courage, gunmanship and working hard. She is an amazing woman!

I liked this book although it moved a bit slow up until the last quarter of the book. Quite a few characters were introduced and the plan to get Luke’s ranch back and get Glynna and her children to safety took up most of the book. Issues in this book include friendship, revenge v. justice, domestic violence, romance and survival. The ending was wonderful! I look forward to continuing this historical western series with Fired Up.
 (Karen’s review, 4 stars)


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"Vengeance Road" by Erin Bowman

Vengeance Road by Erin Bowman is a western about an 18-yr-old girl named Kate.  One day she comes home and finds her dad dead.  She knows the gang who did it and she wants revenge.   I have not read a western in a long time so this was a good change of pace for me.  The story line kept me interested and there was just enough action.  I really liked Kate, and the other characters were well developed too.  The ending was very well done and caught me by surprise!  This is sort of based on a true story.  Give it a try, you will be happy you did!
(Gerard's review, 5 stars)

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"Wind River" by James Reasoner and L.J. Washburn

Wind River by L. J. Washburn and James Reasoner is western novel about a Wyoming town run by two rich men, Durand and Andrew McKay.  When Colt arrives on the first train to their town, his plans change when he accepts the position of Marshall.  There are gamblers, brawls, prostitutes, no school and no church.  Once Cole gets caught up in chasing down some outlaws with his first posse, he realizes when he returns that Wind River has become his home. 

This is a quick read that I enjoyed.  At first, it was a bit difficult keeping all the people straight because they were introduced very quickly at the beginning.  This book has lots of action in it and although I guessed who was behind the payroll robbery, it kept my interest.  The Marshall is a strong character, and I also liked the newspaper editor and his family, and Sawyer, the rancher.
(Karen's review, 4 stars)

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"Blood Feud" by David Robbins (UPDATED)

Blood Feud by David Robbins moved along at a good pace and kept my interest because Chace was such an interesting character.  It is is full of killing, a shoot-em up book about family loyalty, revenge, and hate. My favorite part was when Chace fled to Galveston, Texas and took over the hawking business from Tunk to help the kids which showed he was kind-hearted in spite of being a killer.  I did like the ending!
(Karen's review 9/12/11)

Blood Feud by David Robbins is about a feud between the Harkey clan and the Shannon clan. Chase Shannon sets out for revenge after the brutal rape of his older sister by the Harkeys. To say I enjoyed this book would be an understatement--I loved it! Blood Feud is a double wow, which means it's as good as it gets! The good news is that there is going to be two more books in this series. Can't wait!! Read and enjoy!
(Gerard's review 9/8/11)

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"True Grit" by Charles Portis Is As Good As The Movie!

True Grit by Charles Portis is a western about a young girl who wants to avenge her father’s killing by going after the killer and gets a well-known marshal to help her.  I think most people know the story.  I’ve seen the movie three or four times.  The book was just as good as the movie.  Nothing really new that is not in the movie, but I enjoyed reading it!
(Gerard's review)

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